chafing (nautical)

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| image1 = Mooring ropes, Eisenhower Pier - geograph.org.uk - 1023973.jpg

| caption1 = Chaffed mooring lines

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| caption2 = Guards can be applied to mooring lines to prevent this

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In sailing, chafing is the process of wear on a line, sail or yard caused by constant rubbing and fretting.{{cite book | last=Naish | first=G.P.B. | last2=Whitlock | first2=P.C. | last3=Bathe | first3=B.W. | last4=Villiers | first4=A. | title=The Visual Encyclopedia of Nautical Terms Under Sail | publisher=Crown | year=1978 | isbn=978-0-517-53317-8 | url=https://archive.org/details/visualencycloped00basi }} Various methods are used to prevent chafing, such as employing chaffing gear or shifting halyards to move their wear-point.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.yachtingworld.com/practical-cruising/how-to-prepare-yacht-chafe-rig-crew-problems-125819|title=How to prepare your yacht for anything: Preempting chafe, rig and crew problems|magazine=Yachting World|date=15 April 2020|author=Vicky Ellis}} Chafing of lines that rest on a choke on a boat can be prevented by putting a protecting material around the line. Traditionally ropes were wrapped in canvas and lubricated with tallow; however, plastic sleeves or pipes (sometimes as simple as a piece of old garden hose) are more common in recent times.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.classicboat.co.uk/practical-advice/how-to-prevent-chaffing-of-mooring-lines/|title=How to Prevent Chaffing of Mooring Lines|magazine=Classic Boat|author=Richard Toyne|access-date=11 July 2023}} Chafing of a sail rubbing against a cable can be prevented on large ships by tying a baggywrinkle around the cable.{{cn|date=February 2025}}